TriStar Retires After 30 Years Service with the RAF

The Lockheed TriStar has flown its last operational
mission with the Royal Air Force bringing to an end 30 years of service which
saw the aircraft at the heart of operations around the world.

On Monday 24th March two TriStar’s of 216
Squadron based at RAF Brize Norton flew an air-to-air refuelling mission over
the North Sea before one conducted flypasts at airfields associated with its
history.

During its service the TriStar, fondly known as ‘Timmy’
by its crews, has formed the backbone of long range air transport and air-to-air
refuelling, participating in nearly every British conflict since it was brought
into service.

The fleet of nine aircraft were acquired as a direct
result of the Falklands conflict and the need to provide support to forces in
the South Atlantic and to bolster the air-to-air
refuelling fleet.

In more recent times TriStars have provided air-to-air
refuelling to fast jet aircraft operating over Afghanistan
and Libya and provided the
vital air bridge, transporting troops and cargo to Iraq
and Afghanistan.
Over a period of eight years 216 Sqn flew 1642 times to Afghanistan, carrying a quarter of
a million passengers each way and travelling a total distance equivalent to
flying around the world 640 times.

Philip Dunne, the Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and
Technology said:

"TriStar has served
the RAF for 30 years and today is an opportunity to celebrate its long and
distinguished career. Providing vital support, TriStar has carried over 250,000
troops as well as battle-winning supplies to our personnel wherever they are in
the world. It also carried out vital air-to-air refuelling to our frontline
combat aircraft at home and on deployed operations.

“Its replacement, Voyager, is testament to our commitment to provide state of
the art transport and refuelling capability for our Armed Forces. Capable of
carrying more, for longer, it has already begun flights to Afghanistan and
will also refuel our frontline combat aircraft for decades to come.”

“For us this is a very sad occasion. We’ve been very
proud of the TriStar over the past 30 years where it’s been involved in nearly
every operation in both the air transport and air-to-air refuelling roles.

“Pretty much everyone in the military has been in a
TriStar and after 30 years all the aircraft are still in service, it has an
impeccable safety record and is working to the very end of its career.”

‘’It is sad to see a Squadron with such a long history
come to its natural end, but the 216 spirit will carry on as my colleagues take
up positions in other Squadrons at Brize Norton and around the RAF. It has been
a pleasure to be a part of such a dedicated team’’

Her views were echoed by Master Aircrewman Ian Marshall,
the retirement of the TriStar seeing the end of a 14 year association with the aircraft.
He said:

“It’s the end of an era and I’m sad to see the TriStar
go. I think it’s been a very good aircraft for the RAF.”

The TriStar’s duties have been taken over by the Voyager which
now provides state-of-the-art air-to-air refuelling in support of the Quick
Reaction Force that protects the UK
and Falkland Island airspace 365 days a year.

The remaining four TriStar aircraft will leave RAF Brize
Norton for the final time on 25th March, when they will depart to
Bruntingthorpe Airfield, Leics for disposal.

Editor: Flt Lt Rachel McCulloch

Photographs: Sqn Ldr Dylan Eklund and Paul Crouch

Header: An RAF TriStar KC1 aircraft refuels a Typhoon FGR4 over the North Sea on 24 March 2014 on the last ever sortie of the type in RAF service.